


lemon boy and i (we're gonna live forever)

by lovedbyshadows



Category: Jak and Daxter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Canon Era, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Dark Eco, Friends to Lovers, Gun Violence, Haven City, Human Daxter (Jak and Daxter), Humor, Illegal Activities, Infection, Jak 3, Jak II, M/M, Mute Jak, NO torture, Nightmares, Racing, Revolution, Romance, Sad, Sandover Village, War, Young Love, all of the games, at times - Freeform, but baron praxis and erol are still v bad, it's gonna be a ride, you know the drill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 13:22:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17044499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovedbyshadows/pseuds/lovedbyshadows
Summary: Now that he looks back, he realizes everything changed after Misty Island.





	1. Chapter 1

_"I have spent my life searching for the answers that my father and my father's fathers failed to find. Who were the Precursors? Why did they create the vast monoliths that litter our planet? How did they harness eco; the life energy of the world? What was their purpose and why did they vanish? I have asked the plants, but they do not remember. The plants have asked the rocks, but the rocks do not recall. Even the rocks do not recall. Every bone in my body tells me that the answers rest on the shoulders of a young boy: oblivious to his destiny, uninterested in the search for truth, and rejecting of my guidance! And why would he want to listen to old Samos the Sage anyway? I'm only the Master of Green Eco: one of the wisest men on the planet! So it seems the answer begins not with careful research or sensible thinking. Nay! As with many of fate's mysteries, it begins with but a small act of disobedience."_

 

* * *

 

Jak jumps off the boat and grunts softly when his feet collide with the hard, grey earth of Misty Island. He surveys the area before him, noting every bone and wooden contraption he sees. Behind him, Daxter whimpers.

"Hey, uh, Jak," the firey-haired boy begins, tossing a thumb behind him. Jak shoots him a smile and walks further into the island. Daxter creeps behind him, eyes glancing around nervously. "Old Green Stuff told us not ta come here."

Jak sighs and turns to give Daxter a side-long glance. 'Are you scared?' The boy huffs and looks away pointedly.

"No, I'm not scared!" he exclaims after a moment when Jak's shoulders begin to shake. "I'm just... worried is all. There's supposed ta be a lotta Dark Eco round here, ya know? Ad Dark Eco's bad news - bad, bad news! Who knows what'll happen if we step in it or something."

'We'll just have to be careful then, won't we?' Jak answers with a half-smile and a roll of his eyes. Daxter huffs again and rolls his eyes.

They continue deeper inland, pausing to run around in the ribs of some dead beast only a few times before they spot the gathering of Lurkers. Jak grabs Daxter's hand and hauls him up to rest on a boulder just out of sight. They stare at the Lurkers gathered in impatient curiosity, waiting for something, anything, to happen. They're not disappointed.

There's a flash of sinister purple light and suddenly two elves are floating before the Lurkers. Something's off about them though.

"Continue your search for artifacts and eco," the man clutches his chest and inhales greedily, his voice hoarse with an echo to it. His eyes are red and his skin is an unnatural grey. One of his hands is a prosthetic - red and robotic with tubes piercing his flesh. "The locals possess Precursor items; you know what to do."

The woman beside him smiles cruelly, her black and grey skin, her red eyes, and her Precursor amour making her an imposing figure. "Deal harshly with anyone who strays from the village. We will attack it in due time."

The two boys watching this exchange share twin looks of worry, something making the hairs on the back of their necks stand up before they begin shimmying back down the rock.

They leave quickly, running the way they think they came from, and quickly get lost. They soon find themselves near an open vat of Dark Eco.

"What are we doing here anyway, Jak?" Daxter asks as he rubs his hands together nervously, glancing over his shoulder every now and then. "This place gives me the creeps!"

'Aren't you curious?' Jak inquires with a slight raise of his brow.

Daxter shakes his head. "No, no, no, not one bit," he gets out before he releases a grunt as he trips over a barrel like Precursor artifact. Jak whips around in alarm before he relaxes, letting out a chuckle at his clumsy friend's expense. "Uh, stupid Precursor junk!" Daxter complains pushing himself to his feet with the artifact in his hands.

'Be careful, Dax.' Jak teases with a cock of his head, a small smirk, and a roving look. Daxter waves him off.

"Yeah, yeah, save it," he snarks, patting the Precursor item in his arms. He walks forward to stand beside Jak and crinkles his nose in disgust. "Euch! What is that dark ooze? It sure don't look friendly! Oh, you don't think its Dark Eco, do ya? Whew! Imagine falling inta that!"

'What do you think it'd do?'

"I dunno, Jak! It'd probably hurt, ya know? Dark Eco sure ain't known for its friendliness!" Daxter offers as he blows the dust off the artifact in his arms. He pats it and huffs. "Ya know the Sage yaps on about the Precursors that built this place all the time! 'Where did they go? Why did they build this crap?'" he imitates, throwing the artifact over his shoulder.

Jak chokes on his spit and scrambles to catch it. 'Dax, you can't do things like that! We don't know what this thing does!'

Daxter doesn't see him so he sulks and stares at the artifact now in his hands. Daxter continues ranting without a care in the world, unheeding of what's going on behind him. "Now I like Precursor Orbs and Powercells as much as the next guy, but if you ask me they musta been real losers."

The artifact lights up and Jak looks up just in time to catch Daxter's eye. 'Look at this!'

"Whoa! How did ya do that?" Daxter exclaim, getting in Jak's face immediately. Jak shrugs and makes an uncertain noise in the back of his throat. There's a rattling noise soon after and Daxter's eyes widen in alarm. "Jak! I think we're in trouble!"

Jak turns to see what scared Daxter and jumps back at the sight of an armored Luker. These guys are the hardest to kill. Jak flounders for a moment before he motions for Daxter to lay low. The other boy complies easily and he takes that as his cue to hurl the red glowing artifact at the Lurker. It explodes in a cloud of that same sinister purple that surrounded the two elves from before and Jak grunts when some of it lands on his skin. He hisses as it bubbles and sinks into him, leaving nothing behind. Behind him, Daxter grunts in pain. In alarm, Jak rushes to check on his friend only to see the same thing happen to him.

"Man that stung!" Daxter complains right when the pain's gone away. He pushes himself up off the Precursor metal below him and marches up to Jak, jabbing his finger into the other's chest. "I told ya we shouldnta came here and if you listened then we wouldn't be in this mess! That was Dark Eco, Jak! Who knows what's it's doin' ta us?"

Jak gives his best friend a morose look, jutting out his bottom lip to add to the effect. 'I'm sorry, Dax. I just wanted to go on an adventure with you.'

Daxter blushes and looks away. "Yeah, well, next time ya want ta go on an adventure lemme know before we leave, okay?"

'Sure, Dax!' he smiles, leaning into the other boy's space before he pulls away. 'Speaking of adventures, we should get back. Samos is going to be mad.'

"Oh, no! I forgot about Granpa Green!" Daxter yelps, hands flying up to tug at his vibrant hair. "He's gonna kill us!"

'Maybe not?'

"We're gonna die!"

~~~

Jak grips the corner of the archway as he peeks into the hut. Daxter, however, just waltzes in. Samos, as is expected, turns on them with a scowl already on his wrinkly face.

"What in green tarnation do you two want?" he snaps, waving his staff around. Daxter's ears flatten to his head and he shuffles from foot to foot. Jak closes his eyes to mourn his self-confidence before he falls into step with Daxter. The other boy quickly grabs his arm and uses it to shield himself.

"Well, we, me and Jak, we, uh, got a problem," he starts feebly causing Jak to pull his arm out of his grip and throw it around his thin shoulders protectively. Samos rolls his eyes.

"Don't tell me that instead of heeding my wisdom, you two went mucking about in the only place I told you not to go!" he says disapprovingly, looking out at the island through his window. "Misty Island."

Daxter nods. "Yeah, that's right! And-"

"And you two also got splashed by Dark Eco," he continues, wiggling his finger for dramatic effect. Daxter shrugs Jaks's arm off his shoulders.

"Look, old man, are you gonna keep yapping or are ya gonna help us outta this mess?"

"I'm going to keep yapping!" Samos says unashamedly. "Because, in my professional opinion, neither of you seem altered in any way. And besides, I couldn't help you even if I wanted to."

"What?!"

Samos levitates himself above them. "There's only one person who's studied Dark Eco long enough to cure you of any oncoming or unknown ailments resulting from exposure to Dark Eco; Gol Acheron, the Sage. But he lives far to the North - far, far to the North. Nobody has spoken to him in ages. I would teleport you there, but I can't do that either. None of the three Sages that maintain the other teleporter gates have seen fit to turn their ends on for quite a while! The only other way North is by foot through the fire canyon, but its volcanic soil is hot enough to melt Precursor metal. You can't just walk through it."

Keira steps into the archway. Daxter goes back to clutching Jak's arm and Jak smiles at him. For some reason, the other boy always seems a bit on edge when Keira is around.

"But you could fly over it! If you had a Zoomer equipped with a heat shield!" Keira says as she walks in. "I just happen to be working on such a thing at this very moment. All I would need is twenty Powercells to give it enough energy to withstand the canyon's heat, isn't that right Daddy?"

"Yes. Keira, that might work," Samos says thoughtfully, wacking both Jak and Daxter on the head as he continues, "but where are these boys going to get twenty Powercells?"

"From the villagers," Keira reveals. "Most of them have a Powercell stashed away somewhere! And even if they're not willing to just give them away, greasing their palms with a few Precursor Orbs should do the trick!" she shoots Jak a look and flutters her eyes. "And I bet there are even more of them out in the Wilds just waiting for some brave adventurer to find."

Daxter snorts. "We've got the brave adventurer at least."

"'Brave adventurer?'" Samos questions mockingly. "You two couldn't you way out of the village without training! Before you do anything else, you'd better go through the warp gate and get some practice on Geyser Rock!"

"We won't find any Dark Eco there will we? Because that stuff stung!"

Samos lands in front of the warp gate and huffs. "Get in there before I turn you both into ferns!"

Jak and Daxter exchange a look before they nod. Jak removes his arm from Daxter's shoulders and instead takes the others hand in his. Then they jump. The feeling of teleporting is very disorienting and they both feel stretched when they are spit out on Geyser Rock.

"This'll be no problem!" Daxter brags. nudging Jak with his elbow. "We've been doin' this stuff since forever! Samos is just bein' a grump."

Jak agrees with a nod and runs forward to gather the Precursor Orbs in front of them. 'Should we explore?'

"If ya want!" Daxter says taking the Orbs Jak hands to him and putting them away in his satchel. "There's gotta be loads of stuff we've never seen before, ya know? I bet we haven't found anything worth finding!"

Jak smiles at Daxter through lilted eyes and tilts his head to the side as he does so. Daxter blushes and steps forward, allowing Jak to pull him into an embrace, and rests his head on Jak's shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, love you too, tough guy," he mumbles causing Jak's shoulders to shake in silent laughter.

'C'mon, Dax, let's go.' Jak communicates by letting his hands trail up the other boy's side to his shoulder and then down his arms until his hands are gripping the other's wrists. He tugs gently, pulling Daxter inland once again. Daxter rolls his eyes and lets himself be dragged deeper into Geyser Rock. Within seconds they've collected two Powercells and found some of Keira's scout flys.

"Told ya this'll be easy!" Daxter says as he climbs down onto the beach to collect the Orbs there. Jak follows behind him and runs through the clusters of Blue Echo causing his body to vibrate. Daxter looks at him in awe as he always does when he witnesses Jak's channeling abilities, but there's something different this time. The blue of the Echo is tainted by the same dark purple they saw at Misty Island. With a jolt of horror, Daxter realizes it's Dark Eco. He feels his skin tingling the more he stares and looks down at his arms. To his rising horror, he can spot curling wisps of Dark Eco dancing inside his skin. It almost looks like a moving tattoo. He scratches at his skin and watches as the DArk Eco consolidates in the area, healing the inflamed skin before it retreats.

"What?" he asks himself flipping his arm around to look at his elbow for a moment before he shakes his head. He looks at Jak again and stares at the flecks of glowing purple mixed in with the Blue Eco and feels concern for the lemon-headed boy.

Jak notices his stare and smiles, eyes roving over him like they always do. Jak has an obsession with making sure he's okay, after all. However, when Jak spots the Dark Eco dancing under his skin, he doesn't look concerned, no, he looks enthralled. Daxter wonders if that's what he looked like before he noticed the Dark Eco in himself.

"Uh, Jak, you okay, buddy?" Daxter asks after an uncomfortable moment. Jak's eyes widen and he rushes to Daxter's side with the aid of the Blue Eco.

'What is that, Dax?' he asks as he grabs the firey-haired boy's arm, causing the other boy's skin to tingle pleasantly. 'Does it hurt? Are you okay?'

"M'fine, Jak" Daxter answers, eyes at half-mast as he rides the feeling of the Blue Eco touching his skin. "I don't feel any different. I mean, I feel a little tingly, but I think that's the Blue Echo, ya know? 'Sides, look at you!"

At his remark, Jak does look at himself. He gasps and looks at the tainted Blue Echo in shock. After a moment of panic, he calms down and sighs. 'Same here. I don't feel different.'

"We're fine," Daxter assures him, shrugging off his hand and leaving him behind. "Now c'mon! These Powercells ain't gonna find themselves!"

Daxter looks behind him at Jak's brooding figure when the other doesn't follow. He waits until Jak looks up before he speaks again.

"We're okay, Jak," he begins, softening his voice at the look in his best friend's eyes. He sighs and backtracks until he's standing in front of Jak once again. "Hey, big guy, look at me, okay? No, no, no, I said look at me, Jak, not over my shoulder. Yeah, that's it, there ya go. Now I'm gonna tell ya one more time, okay? We're gonna be fine. It's all gonna work out. After all, we're Jak and Daxter: brave adventurers, heroes of the world, the Demolition Duo! Ain't nothing gonna stop us and ya know why? 'Cause we got each other's backs, that's why."

Jak smiles - his peach colored lips soft and enticing - after his pep talk and something in Daxter's chest sifts into his bloodstream - hot and burning - and he coughs awkwardly. Jak blushes and bites his lip, walking past Daxter quickly with a quick wave to indicate for the redhead to follow him. 'Let's go, slowpoke!'

"I'm the slowpoke?!" Daxter bristles, his front teeth digging into his bottom lip painfully as he pouts. "What about you, ya big lug? Diddly-dallying away! Twiddlin' your little thumbs! Hah!" When Jak doesn't react at all, he flushes red and mutters to himself in irritation as he follows the lemon-headed boy. Jak smirks and gathers more Blue Eco clusters before the others running through his system can run out. "Ya'd better find the Precursor launchie or door for that or we're stuck here!"

Jak waves him off, shoots him one last smile, and bolts. Daxter stares at the fading trail of infected Blue Eco before he throws his head back with a groan. Resigning himself to his fate, he clambers over the many rocks and other such obstacles in his way until he reaches a clearing. Straight ahead is Jak, pumped full of so much Blue Eco that his hair is vibrating, and an open Precursor door. When Daxter makes it to him, Jak passes him a Powercell and a handful of Orbs. Daxter takes them with an eye-roll and tucks them away.

"Alright, Jakkie-boy, ya did it," he drawls, his hands gesturing half-heartedly, which causes Jak to huff in amusement. "Now what's you say to you and me gettin' the hell outta here, huh? 'Cause I'd sure like to leave now, ya know? I sent the better half of this day climbing over huge rocks while you zip-zapped over them like a bolt of lightenin'. I can tell ya here and now, Jak; bein' normal ain't much fun."

'Sucks to suck,' Jak laughs at his plight. Offended, he opens his mouth to - loudly - protest this absolute betrayal before he simply turns around and dramatically throws himself into the shallows below. Jak makes a choked noise and Daxter grins as he surfaces, spitting out water as he does so.

"C'mon!" he calls, spite the only thing hiding his shivers. "The water feels good!"

Jak eyes him suspiciously before the boy shrugs and launches himself into the water. He surfaces sputtering, arms cradling himself as he shivers violently in the cold water. Daxter smirks and darts away. He clambers onto a pontoon and jumps back onto land, surveying the Precursor steps in sudden despair. Behind him, Jak heaves himself out of the water and marches up to him to smack his back in anger. 

"That's what ya get for bein' a jerk!" Daxter defends against Jak's affronted look. "'Sides, we got bigger problems than you wounded ego. Look at the size of these steps! We ain't gonna make it up there without breaking something."

 Jak takes one look at the steps before he smirks. 'Watch this,' he sticks his tongue out at Daxter -who very much does not appreciate the childish gesture, not one bit, uh-uh, no siree - and climbs onto the first step. He makes eye contact with Daxter just before he leaps for the second. His fingers almost miss the top, but he manages - just barely - to grip it and pull himself up. He repeats this until he reaches the top. Below him, Daxter grumbles and kicks the first step angrily.

"Show off!" he accuses the other boy, squinting as he looks up at him. "S'not fair," he mumbles before he forces himself to scale the traitorous steps. When he got reaches Jak, he's heaving and sweating profusely. "There!" he gasps, red in the face. "S'not so bad!"

Jak hums in agreement and throws one of Daxter's Ames over his shoulder, taking most of the firey-haired boy's weight as they make their way to the cliff. Daxter recovers quickly and waves him off, ignoring Jak's concerned looks as he gathers the last of the Orbs.

"We're almost done!" Daxter proclaims once they've scaled another set of steps. "There's the last Powercell!"

Daxter leaps forward and dashes towards the Cell so fast that Jak almost thinks he's channeling Blue Eco for a moment. He follows and smiles as Daxter waves their satchel in the air triumphantly.

"C'mon, let's go wave this in Old Green's face!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been debating on whether or not to write this for WEEKS and I've finally decided to commit! Of course, updates will be slow and stretched out, but thems the rules. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [iwishihadbrain](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/iwishihadbrain).


	2. Chapter 2

Jak obediently uses the Blue Eco to activate the floating Precursor platform and they use it to travel back down to the warp gate. Daxter jumps off the platform and jumps to activate the gate. Jak follows at a leisurely pace and ignores the annoyed glare Daxter shoot at him.

"Jak!" the boy groans. "C'mon, let's go already!"

'Okay,' Jak agrees easily as he takes off and practically flings himself into the swirling warp gate.

"Real mature, Jak," the red-head grumbles as he follows. "Real mature."

He sighs and steps into the gate. The familiar swirling, flashes of blue light assaults his vision and he squeezes his eyes shut. Soon he's being spit out of the blue light and into Samos' leaky hut. He lands with a dull thud and lifts his head up from his sprawled position on the floor to level a heavy glare at Jak. The boy in question shrugs as if to say 'hey, it was your idea.'

"Good training boys," Samos says in lieu of a greeting, "but that's nothing compared to what lies ahead!"

Dexter picks himself up from Samos' damp wooden floor and triumphantly shows him the contents of the satchel. "Eyy, they're no problem! We got the moves, eh Jak? Ya know, we'd love to stay n' chat, Big Green, but we're, uh, itchin' ta get on with our adventures."

"Fine, fine, adventure away then," Samos acquiesces with a roll of his eyes, "and while you're out _adventuring,_ why don't you make yourselves useful? My darn Green Eco collectors have clogged up again! Head out to the far side of the beach and clear them out, why don't you? Now, all of you,  _get out of here_!"

At his sudden yell, Jak and Daxter rush out of his hut as fast as they can. They run down the wooden ramps leading up to his hut and down the ledges until they reach the bridge leading into the village. 

"Wow, Old Man Green sure is scary when he wants ta be!" Daxter exclaims once they've calmed down their rapid breaths and racing hearts. Besides him, Jak nods, taking his goggles off to check them before he claps his hands together. "Hah? Oh, ya wanna go now?"

Jak gives him a look. 'Yeah, I want to go! We were just given permission to explore!  _Permission._ Can you believe it?'

"I'm not too surprised, ya know," Daxter reveals. "This is just an opportunity ta get us outta his hair."

'Maybe,' Jak shrugs before he grabs Daxter's shoulders and shakes them, a wide smile on his face. 'But still! This is amazing!'

"Yeah!" Dexter agrees with a giggle, latching onto Jak's forearms. "It'll be like when we were kids, except, uh, real and probably a lot more dangerous. Anyway, this is great!"

Jak gives him a fond smile and motions towards the village. Daxter smiles and shifts his hold on Jak to where he's just gripping the other boy's wrist. Jak follows his best friend willingly and soon they're in the village.

"We should tell your uncle what we're doing, shouldn't we?" Daxter asks as he tugs Jak through the village. "'Sides we need ta get some supplies and that old coot for sure has some stashed away somewhere!"

'Alright, let's tell him then,' Jak agrees easily enough, even though he's practically vibrating with restless energy. 'We should probably check up on the villagers before we leave though. You know how they are.'

"Don't even get me started, Jak! Buncha lazy bozos, leeching off our generosity like nobody's business! Ugh, the nerve!"

Jak's shoulders shake and he turns his head to hide the amused smile on his face. Daxter takes no notice and keeps grumbling under his breath until they hear a frantic buzzing noise. Jak frowns at the Fisherman's hut and tugs Daxter into it.

"Hey!" Daxter exclaims at the sight of the red, bolted box. "Do ya think Scout Flys are always in red boxes? Cuz it sure looks it to me!"

'Maybe' Jak says lamely as he tugs free of Daxter's hold and approaches the red box. He picks it up and squeezes his eyes shut as he throws it back onto the ground. The box explodes and the Scout Fly buzzes around them before it sets off to return to Keira. 

"There's gotta be a better way ta open those things, right?" Dexter asks, grabbing Jak's hand and resuming their walk to their house.

(Jak's uncle had taken them both in - mainly because Jak refused to do anything without Daxter with him.)

Daxter leaves Jak to do the talking and sets out to look for a med-kit and other such supplies. They need more than just his satchel. Jak sighs and looks for his notebook. Quickly, he scrawls on a message and taps his uncle's shoulder.

His uncle turns and skims the message with practiced ease. His eyes brighten and he laughs. "Well, my dear boy, it looks as if we are both setting off on a journey. I was supposed to set off on mine yesterday, but I was delayed. You see, I seem to be a spot short on the old Precursor Orbs. I could've sworn I had 90 of them, but I suppose that in my old age I may have misplaced them."

"We could go get ya some more," Daxter says as he joins the conversation. He steps behind Jak and straps a small, one-strap enchanted pack to his back and secures his own cargo. He gives Jak's uncle a charming smile. 

"Could you? I'd, of course, offer you a Powercell in return," the balding man assures, adjusting his own satchel. 

"It's no problem! We'll be back with the Orbs soon, yeah? See ya later!" Daxter agrees as he pulls Jak outside with him.

'Do you want to do that first or should we visit the others?'

"I don't really wanna help out any of these people, Jak. I mean, ya know how they are, " Daxter says glumly, eyes glazing over for a moment before he brightens again. "Let's do their favors first and then we can focus on what's really important!"

Jak gives him an unsure smile but does as he says. Together they visit the Mayor, the Sculptor, the Birdwatcher, and the Farmer. Each one of them has a problem that they're either too lazy or too scared to solve themselves. They complete the Famer's favor easily enough, but it's strangely exhausting. At least, they got the 90 Orbs for Jak's uncle and two more Powercells for their trouble.

"Lazy old farmer," Daxter grumbles as they finally begin making their way to Sentinel Beach. Jak stops them a few times to release Scout Flys, but other than that they're uninterrupted. Soon they're at Sentinel Beach and Daxter feels like he can finally breathe.

'Is that a cannon?' Jak says with wide eyes and a frantic gesture. Daxter's eyes follow his finger and he pales at the sight of the very Lurker figure on the old lighthouse.

"How did they even get up there?" Daxter cries in alarm. "All the launchies are useless without the eco vents working. Don't tell me they climbed! Even they're scared of the Lurker sharks!"

'This is not good.' Jak states.

"Uh, no, no, it's really not," Daxter moans in despair. "You know what this means, don't you? After we unclog Old Green's collectors and help out that old lady, we're gonna hafta go ta go inta the Forbidden Jungle - we were already gonna hafta go thete for the Mayor, but, still! - and look for that switch Keira's been tryna find for months."

'Tragic,' Jak snickers. Daxter smacks him on the arm in retaliation and the two set out once more.

They climb onto the outcrop of the mountain and make their way to Samos' collectors. Along the way, Daxter collects any stray Orbs while Jak collects Powercells. Once there, they dispatch a few Lurker Hounds and begins removing the bubbles clogging the collectors. Once they're all cleared, Jak spots a Powercell among some of the rubble and shoves it into his pack.

Samos contacts them on the communicator briefly to check on their progress and mock them a bit before he demands that they get on with it.

Jak sneers and rolls his eyes in annoyance. Daxter laughs at that.

"Okay, now that we've got the collectors outta the way, we can get that big ol' egg taken care of," Daxter starts thoughtfully. "I doubt the old lady will gather enough hay for the egg so I'll help her do that. I don't think I'd be much help up there, anyhow. I saw all the Blue Eco clusters up there. I'd just slow ya down."

'You'll wait for me?' Jak asks as he gets ready to climb onto the ledge. Daxter scoffs.

"Of course, tough guy, " he reassures with a laugh. "I'll be waitin' with the old lady."

Jak hesitates before he nods. Daxter gives him one last smile before he turns away from the other boy and begins among his way to the old lady.

When he gets there, he frowns at the meager amount of hay laid out. The old lady mimics his look. "I'm sorry, dearie, but I just don't have the strength to carry big loads at a time. I got an entire bell of hay from the Farmer and he let me use his yak to transport it here, but I just can't get all of it off the wagon."

Daxter sighs. "Don't worry, I'll get it."

The woman shoots him a grateful smile and he returns it. He makes his way to the wagon and the bell of hay. He clambers onto the wagon and pushes the hay off of it. He then drags it to the spot below the ledge and sets to destroying it and spreading it out as thickly as he can. Then he moves out of the way and waits.

Soon enough, he sees Jak's head peer over the cliff edge. Daxter waves at him and motions for him to push the egg. Jak grins widely and disappears again. Then, slowly but surely, the giant egg is inching its way off the cliff. Jak gives one last push and the egg falls. Daxter winces when it lands, but, when he hears nothing worrying, he relaxes.

The Birdwatcher shuffles closer to the egg and smiles. "Good job!" she praises before waving Jak down. "Now meet me down here by the egg!"

"Please," Daxter whispers, "don't jump."

Jak jumps.

Thankfully, when the egg landed it didn't take up all of the hay Daxter laid out, so Jak lands safely. Daxter smacks him on the arm for the scare all the same. The Birdwatcher chuckles and shuffles closer to them, reaching into her satchel.

"Oh, I do hope the poor dear is okay," she frets before pulling out a Powercell. "Here's a Powercell for your valor."

Jak takes it and tucks it away in his pack. Daxter's just about to say their goodbyes to the old lady when the egg twitches. They all look at in shock when it hatches and the blue baby chick inside jumps out and pushes at Daxter's chest.

"Oh, no," he says in horror. "No, no, no, no, no!"

The old lady has the gall to laugh at him. "Oh, look. Isn't that cute? It thinks your its mama."

"Uh uh, I'm not your mom," Daxter denies, holding up his arm, "d'ya see any feathers here?"

"Ah, love at first sight!" the woman gushes before she shakes her head. "Listen, boys, I'll take this little chick back to the village with me and work with the Sage to take care of her."

With that she ushers the hatchling into the wagon and takes the reigns of the yak cow. She pulls and the creature begins pulling the wagon back to the village. Daxter rounds onto Jak, hands on his hips and a fire in his eyes.

"Never jump off a cliff again!" he orders angrily. Jak holds his hands up in the universal sign for surrender, but Daxter ignores it. He stalks forward and stabs a finger into Jak's chest. "You coulda broken your legs or ribs or arms! Or, worse, your neck! And then where would ya be, huh? Dead, you'd be dead, that's what! And I'd be all alone because you were bein' stupid!"

Jak's eyes soften and he slowly pulls Daxter into an embrace, arms wrapped around his waist, one hand clutching his waist while the the other rubs his back. Daxter freezes and slowly relaxes into it, arms looping around Jak's shoulders.

'I'm sorry,' Jak writes on his back and Daxter sighs, his forehead touching Jak's neck. 'I'll be more careful, I promise. I won't leave you. It's us against the world, remember?'

"Yeah, yeah," Daxter says, exhausted suddenly. He pulls away to look at Jak. Jak's eyes widen and he raises a hand to touch Daxter's forehead. When he pulls away, he shows Daxter his hand. Daxter gasps and looks at his neck. "It's the Dark Eco, ain't it? Crap like this is just gonna keep happenin' until we get it fixed."

Jak nods, swallowing thickly under Daxter's gaze, and stares at his strangely pale purple fingers, such a contrast to the rest of his dark skin. He has to admit it's pretty - a beautiful lavender color that looks almost wisp-like - and it looks lovely on Daxter. He flushes and retracts his wondering gaze from Daxter, firmly looking ahead of them. 

"Well, sulkin' about it ain't gonna help us!" Daxter declares loudly and Jak jumps. "We'll get through this, easy-peasy! Nothing is gonna stop us! Like you said, tough guy, it's us against the world!"

Jak smiles at that, chucking when Daxter leaves his place in his arms to dash away, shouting. He follows Daxter easily and thinks to himself with a dopey smile.  _Red and blue, me and you._

Daxter, coincidentally, is thinking the same thing, but he does a better job at hiding it. The only evidence of his thoughts is a slight flush to his cheeks and ears, something that can be easily waved off as a result of exertion. He shakes his head to rid himself of these thoughts, flushing further at the look Jak gives him, and climbs down to the ruins - much more carefully than Jak does.

"Jak!" Daxter hisses in alarm once the ruins are in their line of sight. He grabs the boys shirt and yanks him behind one of the taller stones, glaring threateningly at the curious seagulls. Jak gives him a questioning look and he points at the Lurkers ahead of them. "Lurkers! I only saw two, but there could be more. Ya don't suppose there any of the skull guys around, do ya?"

'There shouldn't be any,' Jak says easily with a shrug. 'They hardly leave their island.'

"Good, good, good," Daxter says, relieved. He gestures to the Lurkers again. "So, what're we gonna do 'bout these guys, eh Jak?"

'Run them off like we always do, I guess,'.  Jak decides. He steps forward, but Daxter halts him. 

"Jak, what about the Dark Eco?" he asks, nervous. Jak thinks for a moment before he shakes his head. "Yeah, me too, buddy. Let's just, uh, be extra careful then, okay? We don't know how our Eco will react to theirs."

'Good call, Dax,' Jak nods, giving him a smile. He ruffles Daxter's hair and the boy glares at him. 'We'll sneak up on them.'

"Alright," Daxter murmurs, pulling a small dagger out of his satchel. It's roughly made, but it's still good quality. Jak had given it to him for his birthday a couple year back and it still works just as good as it did then. "Lead the way, big boy."

Jak rolls his eyes, but he does as he's told. One by one, they creep closer to their Lurkers, using the rocks nearest to them as cover. Unfortunately, while they're doing this, a seagul decides to swoop down and attack them. Both of them yelp and dive out of its way, exposing themselves to the yellow gaze of the Lurkers.

Unsurprisingly, the Lurkers rush forward, eyes furious and mouths gaping. Daxter scrambles to his feet and welds his dagger threateningly while Jak launches himself bodily at the one closest to him. The Lurker falls to the sand and Jak punches it in the throat, grinding savagely. Once he's sure that Jak's okay, Daxter turns his attention back to his own opponent.

The Lurker circles him, warily eyeing the dagger, before it attacks. Daxter dodges and rolls to his feet, slicing the Lurkers legs as he does. The creature howls in pain and fury, arms swinging violently. One of its hits land, claws cutting into Daxter's upper arm, and he bites back a scream.

Dark - almost black - red blood oozes out of the wound, seeping into his clothes, crackling with purple electricity. The Lurker pauses at the sight and tilts its head, aggressive demeanor changing instantly. Daxter watches it closely, injured arm hanging limply at his side as it burns.

He winces at the horrible feeling and drops his knife. He claws at his arm, yelping in surprised pain when it does nothing to alleviate it. He pulls away immediately and stares in shock at the almost black blood staining his fingers.

The purple electricity of his blood traveling over his entire body now. The Lurker moves closer and he snaps to attention, picking his dagger up before he allows his body to hunch. He lets out a low growl and pounces on the Lurker, some new instinct taking over.

The Lurker screeches in pain when his dagger sinks into its throat, trailing off into a helpless gurgle. Daxter growls again and rips his dagger out. He moves away from the Lurker and looks around for more threats.

His eyes land on Jak and his dead opponent. Jak, who has very frightening claws. He drops his weapon once again, this time from surprise.

"Jak?" he calls out, inching closer to his friends, blood stained fingers spread wife. Jak eyes him warily, the black of his pupils so big that there's barely any of the blue of his iris left. "Ya with me buddy?"

He resists the shock trying to make his body shake and his brain shut down. Instead, he slowly approaches his best friend and places his bloody hand - the one stained with his blood - on his cheek.

Jak's lips curl in a snarl, but then he inhales. His eyes close and he swoon, claws retracting until they're normal nails once again. When he opens his eyes, his pupil is dilated back to normal.

Daxter smiles at him shakily and pulls his hand away, grimacing at the blood it left on Jak's skin.

"Hey, buddy," he says, voice faint to his own ears, "ya with me?"

Jak nods and blinks at the dead Lurkers in shock. 'What happened?'

"I don't know. I don't really remember," Daxter answers, eyeing the dead bodies with wide eyes. His body begins to shake against his will. "We've never killed anything before, Jak."

'No,' Jak says, eyes watering, 'we haven't.'

"It'll be okay though," Daxter says with forced optimism. "We got super powers now. This ain't so bad. We just gotta learn to control 'em until we can get the other Sage to get rid of 'em!"

Jak nods and blinks rapidly. Then he smiles. 'You're right. It'll be okay. We just have to control it.'

"Yeah," Daxter says again, looking away from the dead bodies to Jak's face. He leans into the other boy, resting their foreheads together, and sighs. Jak's tense body relaxes and he rests his hands on Daxter's hips.

Daxter pulls away after a long moment, considerably more calm, and doesn't even blink at the purple electricity traveling over the both of them.

"Okay! Now let's get to explorin'! We can't be out here all day!"

Jak compiles and they leave the cold bodies behind. They explore the ruins and collect any Powercells, Orbs, and Scout Flies they can find. They even take their revenge on the seagulls, which causes them to cause an avalanche and dislodge a Powercell. They climb back up to Samos' collectors and collect the Powercell.

They then explore the rest of Sentinel Beach to the best of their abilities. They even get another Powercell from a pelican, but they can't access the lookout tower until they get the Eco vents in working order.

It's with heavy hearts and tired bodies that they return to Sandover Village. They ignore the villagers holding a cookout and enter their hut, now devoid of Jak's uncle. They strip into their undies and take turns washing up.

Jak tends to Daxter's arm before they crawl into their shared bed. They curl up into each other, hands clutching at whatever body parts they can, and take comfort in each others presence. Soon, the idle crackling of their shared Eco soothes them to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Daxter wakes up the next morning feeling marginally better. His face is buried in Jak's neck, his arms wrapped over the boy possessively and their legs tangled together. He pulls away from Jak with a grimace, his skin sticking to his clothes unpleasantly, and makes for the corner of their hut designated as the "kitchen". Jak groans at his movement and sits up, blinking blearily. He gives Daxter a sleepy look and Daxter laughs, handing Jak a large peach. 

'Thanks,' Jak smiles and fumbles for the fruit. He rubs at the fuzzy skin with a look of distaste, but he eats it anyway, working his way down to the seed quickly. He mouths at the strips of flesh hanging onto the seed, sucking the remaining juices from them before he stands up and moves to set it inside a basket near the doorway.

"We gotta head out to the Forbidden Jungle today," Daxter states, doing the same with his own peach core. Jak wipes the lingering remnants of sleep from his eyes and gives Daxter an easy smile.

'The Mayor will be happy,' he says, cocking his head towards the Mayor's elaborate hut. Daxter snorts and quickly dresses, throwing his satchel over his shoulder before tugging on it to ensure it is secure. Jake does the same with a chuckle.

Neither of them want to think about yesterday.

Soon they're ready to leave and so they do. Daxter complains the entire way to the Farmer's house. When they get there, he tenses and Jak frowns slightly. Before they enter the Jungle, they decide to explore the cliffs near the Farmer's house. Jak helps Daxter climb to the top of one and snorts when the boy reacts to the Oracle in the distance.

"Hey!" he slaps Jak's arm as they move closer, carefully crossing the rickety bridges separating then from it. "Look at that funky sculpture sitting on the rocks over there!"

'Does Samos know it's here?' Jak asks, eyes darting to the Sage's hut. Daxter shrugs and waves his hand.

"I don't know and I don't care!" he declares, jumping onto the platform separating them from the Precursor Oracle. "Let's check it out, eh?"

'You read my mind!' Jak gushes, striding forward to slap a hand into the bronze metal. He lets out a yell when a crackle of white lightening -  _ or is it eco? _ -shocks him and leaps back, clutching his hand to his chest protectively. Daxter catches him and wordlessly steadies him by wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Who awakens the Oracle?" a deep, rumbling voice demands and Jak shivers in his arms. Daxter frowns and pulls the boy away slightly. "Wait! One of you has the light within!"

"What are you yapping about?" Daxter grumbles, fingers twisting in Jak's tunic. Jak lets his arms drop to his sides and stares at the Oracle with wide eyes. He seems absent - not entirely present - and that scares Daxter.

"From before time, I have watched and waited for the true hero to return," the Oracle reveals. There is a pause before it speaks again. "You are tainted by the Dark. I will help you on your quest, hero, even though I fear it is pointless. Present to me 120 Precursor Orbs for each Powercell I contain."

"Jak?" Daxter whispers once it's fallen silent once again. He grabs the other's hand, the same one the Oracle had shocked, and grimaces at what he sees. The Dark Eco has pooled into the skin of his palm, writhing and pulsing underneath his tan skin. Jak squirms in his arms and he steps away, letting go of his hand as he does so.

'I feel….weird,' Jak says after a moment, rubbing at his chest with his affected hand. Daxter moves closer and takes the hand in his once again, rubbing soothing circles into the purplish skin. Jak taps his ears and gestures to the Oracle, tilting his head to the side before he shakes his head. 'I've heard that voice before. What's going on?'

Daxter frowns and squints at the Oracle, eyes accusing before he sighs. "I dunno, Jak."

He pushes the other away before presenting the Oracle with the required Orbs. As promised, he's given a Powercell. Jak scoops it up and puts it away. With one last glance at the Oracle, he leaves for the Jungle and Daxter follows - he always does. They walk over the bridges again and climb down the cliff. Soon their feet meets the hot sand again and they make their way under the overpass, up onto the ledge, over another bridge, and into the Jungle. 

To Daxter's delight, the Jungle is  _ full  _ of Orbs - mainly because the Villagers avoid it like the plague and for good reason too! As it turns out, the place is  _ full  _ of nasties. The Villagers were right to avoid it. Daxter and Jak have only been exploring the Jungle of a few minutes and they've already been attacked multiple times by snakes and poisonous frogs - all of them some type of Lurker. But the worst part is the heat.

"How's it so hot in here?" Daxter complains loudly as they trek through the sparse undergrowth. Jak snickers and throws a rock into the canopy, effectively knocking out the snake that was stalking them. Daxter pouts. "This place stinks!"

'Really?' Jak snarks with a look of poorly concealed amusement on his face. 'I think it's great.'

"Yeah, well, you're crazy so your opinion don't count," Daxter retorts grumpily, crossing his arms with a pout. Jak looks away, his shoulders shaking, and Daxter huffs. "That's right. Laugh it up, tough guy! S'not like this place is dangerous or anything!"

Jak just shakes his head and runs over to a bridge. He looks over to the other side before looking down in shock. Daxter follows and shakes his head vehemently.

"No, no, no, no!" he hisses when Jak begins climbing down.  He follows angrily. "Jak, please! You know I don't like this guy!"

'You don’t like anyone but me and he might give us something if we help him,' Jak argues before he taps his temple and points a finger at the Fisherman. 'And he probably knows where the Eco Beam starts! C'mon, Dax, please?'

"Uuuh, alright! But I am not happy ‘bout this!" Daxter concedes, throwing his arms in the air. He gives Jak's triumphant look a scowl and marches over to the distraught Fisherman. He kicks the man's empty basket and smirks. "So! What d'you have in the basket?"

"Nothing ta talk about," the man sulks. Jak gives Daxter a  _ look  _ and he grins cheekily. The man scratches his covered scalp and clenches his fists in frustration. "Them monsters patrollin' the ocean took a bite outta me fishin' boat and now they're gobblin' up me fish!" he rants, getting in Daxter's face. Daxter pulls away and gags at the horrid smell coming from the man’s mouth. "No matter what I try, I can't seem ta catch a single fish in this river!"

"Maybe it's your breath?" Daxter asks, holding a hand over his nose. Jak turns away quickly, snorting into his hand noisily. Daxter smirk and nudges him, wiggling his eyebrows.

The man ignores them. 

"Ya think you can do better? Try scoopin' up river fish in this tiny net! I'll give ya a Powercell if you catch 200 pounds of them critters, and I'll let you and shrimp here use my speedboat to get ta Misty Island! What d'ya say?"

The two exchange a meaningful look before they nod. They'd already been having the man's speedboat, but having permission  _ would  _ be nice. Daxter mouths "shrimp" indignantly and Jak smiles, mussing up the other's hair before he picks the net up. He lays down on his stomach and holds the net out into the water. Daxter rolls his eyes and sits down next to him.

It does not take Jak long to complete the Fisherman's task, which is kind of sad in Daxter's opinion. An untrained boy can do it better than a man who's been doing it for years? Well, the Villagers have always been kind of pathetic. It's nothing new.

Jak heaves himself up from the floor and deposits his latest catch into the basket. The Fisherman claps Jak on the shoulder with a wide grin. "Ya did it! Ya caught 200 pounds of fish! Not bad for a couple of landlovers. Here's the Powercell I promised and you can use my boat whenever ya like."

Jak takes the Powercell and motions for Daxter to ask the man for information. Daxter shakes him off and taps the Fisherman on the shoulder.

"Uh, 'scuse me, sir, but d'ya happen to know where the Eco Beam starts? We're supposed ta go repair it for the Mayor," Daxter says as politely as he can manage. The Fisherman doesn't look offended, so he assumes he did it well enough.

"Aye, I know where it is," the man nods before he points to the river. "Jus' follow the river down tha' way and you'll come 'cross a Precursor pad. Last time I was there, Blue Eco was all over the place! Jak'll be able ta get ya up there jus' fine!"

"Thanks!" Daxter says cheerily before pulling Jak away from the man. Once they're a good distance away, he opens his mouth and spits out very unsavory things about the man. Jak just shakes his head with a chuckle.

They follow the man's instructions. The only time they're interrupted is when they run into a few Lurkers. Thankfully, they take them out quickly - without killing them this time - and continue until they've found the Precursor pad. Daxter stops to collect a few stray Orbs and Jak finds another Powercell. Then Jak scoops up a cluster of Blue Eco, loops his arms around Daxter's waist, and jumps.

Daxter screams until their feet have connected with the ground once again. Jak releases him and punches the Lurker charging them in the stomach. It lets out a high-pitched keening noise, blood coming out of its mouth, and collapses. Jak looks at his hand in shock before slowly approaching the fallen Lurker, mindful of the machine pumping hot steam next to them. He rolls the Lurker onto its back and closes his eyes in pain at the damage his hit caused. Daxter inches closer and gasps quietly before he looks away.

The Lurkers entire middle is caved in.

After a moment, he grabs Jak by the arm and drags him away. They circle the machine and Jak cries out when another Lurker attacks them. 

This time Daxter steps forward. That same feeling from before floods him and he launches himself at the Lurker. The creature shrieks in fury and Daxter slashes his nails across its throat, blinking in shock when blood sprays his face. 

A strangled shout reaches him and he scrambles away from the cooling body with a scream. Arms loop around his waist and pull him to Jak's chest, a face burying itself in his neck. Great, heaving breaths leave his chest and he stares at the dead Lurkers in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, but I tried, okay? I couldn't write anymore for this chapter.
> 
> Hey, you should totally check out this server I made: [spicy hot takes!](https://discord.gg/UBpDYdQ) It's a server dedicated to your takes on shows, characters, books, etc. Those theories you have bottled up can be aired out there! And I'm there (assuming you like me) so there's that! Really just join it. Please. (My band needs members, okay?)


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